Female Genital Mutilation or female circumcision as it is called in the dark alleys and hidden groves of the interior villages where the abhorrent act is practiced has always been a hush-hush topic and because of the shame and myths or superstitious beliefs that surround it, there seems to be very little written about it. Female Genital Mutilation has been practiced by various ancient cultures in a bid to reduce female sexuality and prevent women from being promiscuous. The effects of the process however are much worse. Since it is usually done to young girls, the psychological trauma of the pain of the process usually lasts a life time. Many…
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Do not dim your light and sparkle!
Lillian had worked really hard this past year. Everyone knew this. She was the only one that got a fat bonus check at the end of year ceremony and it was well deserved too. She also won the employee of the year award for her kindness, thoughtful, resourceful nature, expertise and willingness to learn new things. Everyone knew that she was gunning for the big leagues. Ever since she joined the company, she’d always hoped she’ll be VP and sit on the board of directors. From the first day she became an employee, she had put in her best. She was always punctual. Never missed a deadline or a pitch…
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Dashed Hopes – A short story to commemorate Internatonal day of education
Panting, Miriam sat under the mango tree, hands on her jaw. She had just run out from the room adjoining the parlour from where she had overheard her father discussing with the yellow-stained teeth pot-bellied short man, Mr Lazarus. Tears rolled down her eyes as their conversation played in her mind: “My son will like her,” Mr Lazarus said, “She’s perfect, with the right curves in the right places.” Her father, who would on a normal day cringe at such statements and even sternly warn or assault the speaker, had tossed his head back and laughed shamelessly. After recovering, he had said, “She’s not only…
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THE OUTSIDER WIFE
Linda stared at her wedding picture that was framed nicely and sitting beside the bedside table. She couldn’t believe that Derrek had gone too soon. They had big plans. They had wanted to travel the world, expand their business and build a large family. They had wanted to help people in their community. All these were not happening anymore because he was no more here. She picked up her shawl and draped her neck. Then she stood and looked at her reflection in their huge mirror standing a few feet from their bed. Her eyes were swollen and had dark circles from too much crying and sleepless nights. Although her…
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Didn’t she deserve better
Violet blinked back the tears welling in her eyes. Her vision blurred as pain pulsated through her frail body. She felt the world spin. Her head was throbbing a little more than usual today, she observed. Her threshold had gotten better with time but this pain was more than she could bear. She touched her forehead and felt a huge bruise – larger than the ones he used to give her. This was definitely going to scar. He must have bumped her really hard against the wall this time. From the corridor, heavy footfalls stamping their authoritative presence marched towards her room. As they came closer, she shrank back in…
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MEN PICKING UP THE GAUNTLETS!!!
I started advocacy because of my experiences as a young lady. I believed that it would inspire young girls and help them choose to rise above the discrimination and inequality that they were facing from society. Some people, especially some men, belittle efforts of women by saying that all gender advocates do is focus on girls while leaving out boys. I know that I am not very good at male advocacy because it’s not my strong forte – not because I wouldn’t have the right words to say but because I don’t fully understand or live their reality as well as a man would. I suggest that this talk that…
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The role of the Cosmetic Industry in promoting or encouraging women in STEM
No doubt, women are the biggest target audience of the beauty and cosmetic industries. Most products designed and created by these industries serve to make women feel a lot more beautiful, confident and empowered. As a great asset and tool that beauty is, I believe that women should be directly involved, not just as recipients of these products but also as part of the researchers, developers and eventual producers of said cosmetic or beauty products. At a time, it was unheard of women to be interested in anything else other than looking beautiful to attract a man’s attention, getting married, having children and keeping a home. Today, however, we have…
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Is the Nigerian Constitution Sexist? – Oyinlola Olufunke Adeboyin
A tweet, where a man lamented the lacuna in the Nigerian Constitution which prevents him from attaining Nigerian citizenship by virtue of his marriage to his Nigerian wife, has gone viral. A post which some considered hilarious, others considered a matter of great concern and some others a waste of time. In the western world, a man or woman can attain citizenship of a particular country by virtue of their marriage to citizens of that country. A reason why many Africans marry citizens of some countries where they are domiciled, I learnt. Section 25 to 32 of the Nigerian Constitution provides for attainment of citizenship in Nigeria. Section 26 provides…
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Zozibini Tunzi wins Miss Universe 2019 with short hair
Less than 48 hours ago, Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa was crowned as Miss Universe. The very beautiful, outspoken and intelligent woman who believes that women should be leaders was crowned the winner after defeating numerous other contestants from countries all across the globe. The most intriguing thing about this win is that she is a dark-skinned African woman who was wearing short hair! In a world where a woman’s beauty is usually defined by how long hair her is, this her win is a big feat especially for women who prefer shorter hair. In some countries all over the world, especially in African countries like Nigeria, people usually see…
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Megan Rapinoe; The Best!
Lionel Messi edged out Virgil van Dijk in the most competitive Ballon d’Or award till date to claim a record sixth gong. On the same night, USWNT star Megan Rapinoe claimed the Ballon d’or Feminin, the female version of the award. This was only the second time it was being awarded and just like the first time, it received very little attention. The Olympic Gold Medalist clinched the honour ahead of England’s Lucy Bronze and national team-mate Alex Morgan, with other nominees including Lioness star Ellen White, Netherlands’ Vivianne Miedema, Australia’s Sam Kerr and USWNT stars Rose Lavelle and Tobin Heath. Megan Rapinoe was the star of the show as…
